


Skate America, 2017

by xslytherclawx



Series: Cat Café Universe [14]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Copious use of emoji, Everyone ships OtaYuri, JJ thinks Otabek is his best friend, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Yuri goes to Hot Topic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-22 18:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11385777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx
Summary: In the final Grand Prix Series qualifier of the 2017-18 skating season, Otabek Altin competes in Skate America in Lake Placid, where Yuri Plisetsky and Phichit Chulanont have also both been assigned.His first mistake was telling JJ that he was flying into Montréal.(Set 22-26 November 2017, canon compliant as of the end of season one).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Due to JJ's ridiculous texting habits, **this NEEDS to be viewed with the creator's work skin ON.** Otherwise, JJ's texts will be completely incomprehensible instead of just _mostly_ incomprehensible.

Once Otabek had learned that he and Yuri would both be competing at Skate America, he’d come up with a plan. He’d looked up restaurants and things to do in the area. It was in Lake Placid, which was a tiny town without much to do, but Otabek made a list.

A few weeks before the competition, he got a text from JJ, who had just gotten bronze in Skate Canada. Which was, all things considered, very rough. Otabek didn’t think he stood a chance of getting into the Grand Prix Finals at this point.

**Messages with** King JJ  
  
**King JJ:** Hey Bex do u have plans 4 Sk8 ? I’ll b in Mon3al w my  & its only 2 hrs 2  Placid.   
  
**Beks:** Two hours across international borders. How long would it take to get into the US?  
  
**King JJ:** Not 2 long. I have my    
  
**Beks:** To be honest, I was planning on spending a lot of my free time with Yuri Plisetsky.  
  
**King JJ:** We cud all hang 2gether! Yuris a  . Were all friends rite?  
  
**King JJ:** Unless its a d8   
  
**Beks:** Trying to get it to be.  
  
**King JJ:**! Good luck!  
  
**Beks:** Thanks. I’ll need it.  
  


That was a relief. [1] JJ was an old rinkmate and he was nice enough, but Yuri hated him. And Otabek didn’t want anything else around to stress Yuri out. Yuri had managed gold at Skate Canada, beating out JJ in the process, but Otabek had seen firsthand how much trouble Yuri’d been having with his program this year. Add on to that that Victor and Yuuri would almost definitely make it to the finals… Otabek didn’t want to add any more stress.

He got another text from JJ minutes later.

**Messages with** King JJ  
  
**King JJ:** If u rly want 2 win Yuri over u shuld take him 2 the . Classic d8.   
  
**Beks:** A mall?  
  
**King JJ:** yea theres this store hot topic hed  lots of blck & shitty . Def his deal.   
  
**King JJ:** I askd if he wanted 2 go after Sk8    
  
**King JJ:** He said he had other plans  but im sure hed  2 go w u  
  
**Beks:** I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, JJ.  
  
**King JJ:** Any  !  glad 2 help!  
  
**King JJ:** Oh thers this store bella & i  where u make  2gethr! perfect d8  !  
  
**Beks:** That sounds like a great idea. I’ll check it out. Thanks!  
  


Well, even if it had been JJ’s idea… Yuri would never have to know. [2]

It wasn’t like Beka was going to confess. No; he was still taking Mila’s advice and waiting until the season was over. He wanted to see Yuri medal in every competition he was in, and he didn’t want to risk anything that could screw up Yuri’s concentration.

But still. They hadn’t seen each other in person since right before the Rostelecom Cup, and that had only been for a few hours. Otabek was going to make the most of their limited time together, because he knew… best-case scenario, he’d be seeing Yuri again after this at the Grand Prix Finals at the earliest.

Hm, maybe he should pay a visit to JJ after all was said and done. After all, like he’d said, Montréal was only two hours away. And, well, if this went well, Otabek would owe him one.

He came up with a plan that had room for spontaneity, but which included JJ’s suggestion of spending an afternoon together at the mall. After all, it didn’t look like there was much else to do.

And then he called his coach about getting an extra night in a hotel and a flight out from Montréal. Just in case.

* * *

He ended up flying in and out of Montréal, since it ended up being the shortest flight by far, and had only one layover in Frankfurt am Main.

After comparing flights with Yuri, they realised that they wouldn’t see each other until they got to Lake Placid; Yuri was flying into a nearby airport in Vermont, and had a layover in Amsterdam. [3] It was a disappointment, to be sure, but they would, at least, be in the same hotel in Lake Placid, and they’d get to spend time together there.

Otabek knew it would probably wind up public anyway, so he texted JJ again. His former rink mate’s ego was… fragile, to say the least.

**Messages with** King JJ  
  
**Beks:** Flying into Montreal. 22 November.  
  
**King JJ:**! Wat  ???   
  
**Beks:** 12:20  
  
**King JJ:** & I will pck u  !  arguments!  
  
**King JJ:** Itll b  2 u!  
  


Two hours in a car with JJ. [4] And there was, really, no way to get out of it without looking like a giant dick.

Well, maybe that would make him appreciate Yura more.

At least that’s what Otabek hoped.

For the weeks leading up to the competition, he threw himself into training. He’d gotten gold at the Rostelecom Cup, but there was a full month between that and Skate America, and he wasn’t about to let himself get sloppy. His competition was tough, and he wasn’t about to take that lightly.

He was careful not to push himself too hard; the last thing he wanted was to be burnt out or injured during the competition.

* * *

His layover in Frankfurt was uneventful, and by the time he arrived in Montréal, he was exhausted and just wanted to shower and then crawl into bed. He knew, though, that the best way to beat jet lag was to stay up until a reasonable local time to sleep. And, honestly, he didn’t think that he _could_ sleep at the moment, if it came down to it. He was going to see Yuri again, for the first time in a little over a month, _and_ he needed to make sure he got into the Grand Prix Finals.

JJ and Isabella were waiting for him at the international arrivals gate. He turned to his coach. “You sure you don’t mind?”

“You deserve some time off. Just get checked in to the hotel at a decent hour tonight.”

That wasn’t really what Otabek had wanted to hear, but he nodded. He walked over to JJ and Isabella, lugging his checked back and carry on behind him.

“Beks!” JJ called, waving him over. Otabek said goodbye to his coach and walked over to where JJ and Isabella were standing.

He had to give JJ credit; the other man knew _not_ to pull him into a hug. But he did still _enthusiastically_ clap his shoulder. “Man, it’s great to see you!”

“It’s great to see you, too, JJ,” Otabek said. Although they had just seen each other a month ago.

“Here, let me take your checked bag. We’ve got lunch reservations.”

Of course it wasn’t going to be as simple as putting up with JJ chattering for two hours. He should’ve known better.

“Okay,” Otabek said.

JJ took his bag. Otabek turned to Isabella. “Isabella, how have you been?” He had to be polite after all.

“Well,” Isabella said. “We’re still holding out that JJ gets gold at Worlds and then we can get married!”

Holding out was, from what Otabek knew, the operative word.[5] Otabek nodded, unsure of what else to say. Fortunately, JJ filled the silence. “So, we’ve got reservations. Where’s Plisetsky flying into?”

“...Vermont, I think,” Otabek said, even though he knew for a fact it was Vermont.

“When’s he get in?” 

“Tonight.” At quarter of seven. And it’d take him another two hours, at least, to get to Lake Placid, so he’d probably be dead on his feet by then.

“We’ll make sure to get you back by then.” JJ actually _winked_ at him. Fuck.

JJ started rambling on about his month as they walked to his car. Or, well, honestly, Otabek should have known he’d bring the giant red SUV, complete with vanity plates reading KINGJJ. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure the alternative would’ve been JJ’s equally cherry red Mustang. [6]

Otabek was suddenly glad for the SUV.

JJ helped him get his bags in the back, and Otabek climbed in the back seat. Isabella, of course, climbed into the passenger seat, and JJ drove.

“So,” Isabella said as they pulled out of the short term parking lot. “You and Yuri Plisetsky, huh?”

Of course JJ had told her. “I’m not going to try to make a move before the season’s over. It’s been tough on him.”

JJ laughed. “Man, he kicked my ass at Skate Canada – and I’m _from here_. His season’s fine.”

But it was different. JJ came from a legacy skating family. Yuri skated in large part to provide for his grandfather. “It hasn’t been up to his standards. He was pissed that Yuuri Katsuki broke another one of Victor’s records, and that Victor’s been winning every competition he’s been in despite taking a year off.”

“He got _gold_ , Beks.”

“I don’t want to distract him.”

“So you’re going to wait until after _Worlds_?” JJ asked.

“If we both qualify.”

“All right,” JJ said. “Tell you what. If you two don’t get together before Worlds, I’ll be your wingman.”

“What?”

“Beks. We’re friends.”

He wasn’t entirely sure he considered JJ a _friend_ , but then… he was riding in JJ’s car, going out to lunch with JJ and Bella. Maybe they _were_ friends.

“Look, JJ. You’re right. We’re friends.” It felt weird to say, but he knew he had to say what came next. “But you do realise that Yuri doesn’t really like you that much, right?”

He saw JJ’s frown from the rearview mirror. “I thought that was just for show.”

Otabek shook his head. “Bella antagonising his fans in Barcelona last year probably didn’t help,” he added. “Don’t take it personally. Yuri doesn’t like _most_ people. I don’t even know why he likes _me_.”

JJ scoffed. “It’s because you’re _cool_ , Beks. And you both love cats.”

Otabek didn’t think that he was particularly cool, but… now that JJ said it, he could see how Yuri might have thought that, at least initially. He wasn’t sure how Yuri would think the dork who recommended him animated films was cool, but… maybe the initial cool impression had done enough?

“Anyway, I’ll be your wingman anyway. I’ll just avoid Yuri. And I guess I should make amends, too. Do you know if I did anything in particular?”

That was the problem. JJ really couldn’t handle being disliked, and… well, Otabek was pretty sure that Yuri hated everything about JJ. “I don’t think so,” Otabek said honestly. Because, well, JJ’s personality turning Yuri off wasn’t JJ doing anything, right? “Yuri once told me I was one of three people who didn’t annoy him, and one of those people was his cat.”

JJ laughed. “You should marry that guy. Who was the other person?”

“His grandfather.”

“I thought he was friends with that one women’s singles skater… Babicheva?”

“He is. And he’s friends with Katsuki and Victor, no matter what he says to the contrary. But he’s… particular.” At least Otabek thought that was a good way to phrase it.

“As long as he makes you happy, dude. That’s what’s important.”

“He does,” Otabek said.

JJ grinned. “Then you’re good. Well, once you two actually get together, you will be. And if you need me to do anything to help, just hit me up!”

“Thanks, JJ.”

“You got it! Anything to help a bro out!”

JJ pretty much monologued for the rest of the way to the restaurant. He talked about his season, his wedding planning with Isabella (who clarified that they hadn’t set a date yet, although they were still hoping he’d win gold at Worlds this year), his parents’ hovering but how it paid off with their delicious cooking, how the Canadiens were doing this season, how he’d finally met his favourite band, Nickelback, over the summer and how he’d convinced them to write his song for his free skate this season (which he’d texted Otabek about, but sometimes JJ talked just to talk), and Otabek wasn’t quite sure how he’d manage another probably three hours of this.

He wanted to text Yura, but he knew his texts wouldn’t go through. Yuri was on a flight. Besides, they could talk tonight, maybe, for a little bit when Yuri got in, and discuss all of this.

JJ parked in the Old City. “Restaurant’s a short walk away, but it’s always hard to get spots, especially one Dudley can fit in.”

It took Otabek a second to remember that Dudley was the name of JJ’s car. They got out, and JJ locked the car, making sure the alarm was set. He talked the entire five minute walk to the restaurant, and Otabek had to admit, the Old City was impressive.

He followed JJ and Isabella into a restaurant. JJ, of course, pushed his sunglasses back to rest on top of his head when he went to speak to the hostess. “J’ai une réservation. Jean-Jacques Leroy… trois personnes pour déjeuner.” [7]

The hostess nodded and led them to their table.

It looked, to Otabek, to be a normal restaurant. Nothing struck him as overly fancy, or as overly dingy. He realised that JJ probably knew that he had until Four Continents until he had to skate in competition again, which gave him a little under two months to burn off any junk.

He opened the menu, and his hunch was right.

Poutine.

Otabek hadn’t had poutine a lot while he lived in Canada. He’d been training too hard to indulge in such a patently unhealthy meal.

“My treat,” JJ said. “Since I kind of sprung this on you, and I don’t think you have any Canadian currency.”

“Thanks,” Otabek said.

“And you know you don’t _have_ to get poutine.”

He had a competition tomorrow. He didn’t think he could _afford_ to get poutine. Otabek looked through the menu. His French was basic at best – mostly what he’d learned from dual language packaging in Toronto, and curse words from JJ’s apparently expansive vocabulary. But he did recognise the word “salade”... even though he couldn’t read what was in it.

“JJ, do they have an English menu?” After all, he didn’t particularly feel like playing roulette with his meal.

JJ looked up. “Oh, shit, man, sorry! Totally forgot!” He waved over a server. “Pardonnez-moi, mais mon chum ne parle pas du tout français… est-il possible de lui donner une carte en anglais?” [8]

“Mais bien sûr.” The server took Otabek’s menu and returned with an English-language menu.

Otabek was glad, not for the first time, that this season he was skating in countries where the official languages were ones he spoke fluently. He took the English-language menu with a small “merci,” because he knew that much anyway, and started looking through.

JJ talked through the menu with Isabella in French while Otabek tried to find something that wouldn’t fuck him over. He eventually decided on a thai chicken salad, although JJ insisted on ordering a side of poutine for him. JJ got some poutine monstrosity, and Isabella ordered a wrap.

JJ switched to English and talked about his meeting with Nickelback in more detail. Otabek didn’t have the heart to tell him that Nickelback was widely regarded (and for good reason) as the worst band ever.

By the time JJ was done (or as done as he ever got), their food was out. Otabek dutifully ate half of his salad before dipping into his poutine.

JJ looked at him expectantly. “Great, right?”

Otabek nodded and continued eating. In the end, he finished his salad and about half of his poutine. After JJ paid the bill, he turned to Otabek and grinned. “Are you ready to hear the awesomeness that is my road trip mix? Bella and I made a mix featuring the best Canadian artists of all time.”[9]

This was going to be like his warm-up mix, wasn’t it? Otabek had a bad feeling about this. “I’m sure it’ll be… educational.” 

JJ laughed. “Man, Beks.”

* * *

By the time they arrived in Lake Placid, it was a little past four in the afternoon. He had two and a half hours until Yuri’s plane landed and they could text again. And another three, probably, for Yuri to get through customs and to Lake Placid.

It was Isabella who noticed his distress.

“You know, this is kind of a long ride out without doing anything. Why don’t you check into your room, Otabek, and then we can all wander around town together for a bit?”

He wasn’t particularly in the mood to deal with JJ for another two hours, but since they were in Lake Placid, he could probably get away with his excuse of being exhausted (which was true) at any time.

So he checked into his room and, after putting his bags away, went back down to the lobby of the hotel, where JJ was talking to Phichit Chulanont. 

JJ, naturally, invited Phichit to join. Otabek didn’t anticipate Phichit accepting the invitation, but he did, saying that he thought the area would be perfect for some scenic snaps and instagram photos.

Well, maybe Phichit would balance out JJ.

* * *

Phichit might have actually been _worse_ than JJ.

JJ mostly rambled on about things of little consequence. Phichit took fifteen minutes to get straight to the point.

“Hey Otabek, so Yurio’s going to be at this competition, too, are you planning to… you know?”

Of course Yuuri and Victor had told him.

It was, somehow, JJ who saved him. JJ threw an arm around Otabek’s shoulder. “My man wants to wait until the season’s over to make a move.”

“Does everyone know?” Otabek asked.

“Well,” Phichit said. “Everyone talked after Yurio’s exhibition last year, and then with your routine this season, and the fact that you two were geotagging photos in the same place at the same time… you visited St Petersburg twice this summer… and you two met up before the Rostelecom Cup...”

Okay, that was a lot. And pretty undeniable.

“Wait,” JJ said. “Is Yurio some cool nickname for Plisetsky that I don’t know about?”

Otabek sighed. “JJ, if you _ever_ want Yuri to be your friend, you will _never_ call him Yurio.”

“I think it’s a cute nickname,” Phichit said.

Otabek knew Yuri didn’t agree. He shot JJ a look and shook his head.

“Why do you want to wait until the season’s over, anyway?” Phichit asked. “Oh my god, are you planning on moving to St Petersburg after Worlds?”

“What? No!” Where had Phichit even gotten that idea? “The reason I’m waiting to tell him is that I don’t want to distract him from his goal.”

Phichit rolled his eyes. “That's ridiculous.”

“Don’t worry,” said JJ. “My man’s got a plan for Milan, and I’m going to help.” [10]

Otabek wished that so many people weren’t invested in his love life. Victor and Yuuri and Mila were invested, too, and it was just dumb luck that Mila wasn’t _also_ competing in Skate America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 JJ-to-English Dictionary, for the first set of messages:  
> JJ: Hey, Otabek, do you have plans for Skate America? I'll be in Montréal with my family, and it's only two hours to Lake Placid.  
> Otabek: Two hours across international borders. How long would it take to get into the US?  
> JJ: Not too long. I have my passport.  
> Otabek: To be honest, I was planning on spending a lot of my free time with Yuri Plisetsky.  
> JJ: We could all hang out together! Yuri's a cool kid! We're all friends, right?  
> JJ: Unless it's a date ;)  
> Otabek: Trying to get it to be.  
> JJ: Shit, dude! Good luck!  
> Otabek: Thanks. I’ll need it.  
> [return to text]  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> 2 JJ-to-English Dictionary, for the second set of messages:  
> JJ: If you really want to win Yuri over, you should take him to the mall. Classic first date.  
> Otabek: A mall?  
> JJ: Yeah, there's this store called Hot Topic that he'd love. Lots of black and shitty music. Definitely his deal.  
> JJ: I asked if he wanted to go after Skate Canada.  
> JJ: He said he had other plans, but I'm sure he'd love to go with you.  
> Otabek: I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, JJ.  
> JJ: Any time! :D I'm glad to help!  
> JJ: Oh, and there's this store that Bella and I love where you make teddy bears together! Perfect date idea!  
> Otabek: That sounds like a great idea. I’ll check it out. Thanks!  
> [return to text]  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> 3 According to Google flights, these were the shortest options from Almaty and St. Petersburg to Lake Placid. Which, again, just makes Lake Placid seem like an even worse idea to host an international sporting event. [return to text]  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> 4 JJ-to-English Dictionary, volume three.  
> Otabek: Flying into Montreal. 22 November.  
> JJ: Dude! What time???  
> Otabek: 12:20  
> JJ: Got it! Bella and I will pick you up! No arguments!  
> JJ: It'll be good to see you!  
> [return to text]  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> 5 Casual reminder that JJ apparently canonically is a virgin and is waiting until marriage to consummate his relationship with Isabella. [return to text]
> 
> 6 Both of JJ's cars are Canadian Flag red. Because it's JJ. (his plate for his Mustang is JJSTYLE) [return to text]
> 
> 7 translation: "I have a reservation. Jean-Jacques Leroy... three people for lunch." [return to text]  
> 8 translation: "Excuse me, but my friend doesn't speak French at all... is it possible to get him an English-language menu?" (to which the waiter responds "of course")  
> apparently "chum" is a word used in québecois French (it's not standard French; it comes from English and is pronounced the same), and I just really wanted to give JJ as much ridic slang as possible, and this was one of the only options. [return to text]
> 
> 9 This playlist includes, but is not limited to: Nickelback, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, and Marie-Mai. All Canadian artists, none of them actually very good. He doesn't like any of the good Canadian artists like Joni Mitchell or Neil Young. [return to text]
> 
> 10 Worlds is in Milan, and also JJ says this so "man", "plan", and "Milan" all rhyme. [return to text]  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> The coding on this was a bitch, and I still have three more chapters to go!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuri arrives, there's a trip to a mall, and the results come in.

JJ and Isabella had insisted on staying for dinner, and Phichit had tagged along. They didn’t talk much about Otabek and Yuri, for which Otabek was extremely grateful. They all went back to the hotel together around seven, and then JJ and Isabella said their goodbyes.

“Of course, we’ll be rooting for you, Beks!” JJ said, clapping Otabek’s back again. “It was great to see you!”

“Great to see you, too, JJ.”

“Good luck with Plisetsky, too, all right? And feel free to ask if you need my services as wingman.”

“I will.” He didn’t think he’d need JJ’s help, but, really, he didn’t know.

JJ climbed into the SUV where Isabella was already waiting in the passenger’s seat. With a wave, he drove away.

“So,” Phichit said. “I didn’t think JJ Leroy _had_ friends.”

Otabek shrugged. He wasn’t quite sure he’d call JJ a _friend_. Not like Yura, or Dasha, or Vika, or Dima.  [1] But then while Otabek had always had his friends in Almaty, he thought back to his time as JJ’s rink mate in Toronto.

JJ’s life had been the rink, and later, once he’d met Isabella at school, she became a focal point, too. But… well, Otabek couldn’t think of many people JJ could consider _friends_. In fact… he’d be the closest one.

He’d never really thought about it before.

“...Look, just tell me you don’t have a sordid past with JJ.”

Otabek frowned. “With JJ? No.” The idea was laughable.

“Good, because I don’t know how you’d get Yurio to get over that.”

Otabek didn’t, either. He was trying to figure out how to tell Yuri that apparently JJ thought they were close friends. He looked at his phone and caught the time. “I’m going to go to my room. Goodnight, Phichit.”

“Goodnight!” Phichit said. “And don’t stay up all night watching animated movies with Yurio! I want to kick your asses fair and square, so you two better be awake in the morning!”

Otabek waved him off and went back to his room. He texted Yuri right away.

**Messages with** Yura  
  
**Beka:** How was your flight?  
  
**Yura:** fucking awful, as always. stuck between lilia and yakov the whole time.   
  
**Beka:** At least you’ll be here soon.  
  
**Yura:** gps says almost two hours left   
  
**Beka:** I’m not going out tonight, so you can come to my room when you get in if you want to vent.  
  
**Yura:** beka youre an angel.   


Otabek felt his heart pound out of his chest at the message. He didn’t think Yuri meant anything special by it, but he was too far gone.

**Messages with** Yura  
  
**Beka:** I try.  
  
**Beka:** Oh and don’t let me forget to tell you about my afternoon.   
  
**Yura:** i wont. looking forward to it.  
  
**Yura:** you always seem to have crazy ass adventures when im not there   
  
**Beka:** Excuse me, do we not have adventures together?  
  
**Yura:** we do but the ones when im not there always seem crazier   
  
**Beka:** Yura. The first time we met, I picked you up on my motorcycle and you didn’t even remember who I was.  
  
**Yura:** and thats one of your less wild adventures   
  
**Beka:** Not my fault you spend most of your free nights eating take out with your cat   
  
**Yura:** beka how dare you  ill have you know i spend most nights eating home cooked meals from the two old men and avoiding their pda  
  
**Beka:** Is it PDA though if it’s their apartment?  
  
**Yura:** honestly beka its like youre on their side    
  
**Beka:** I’m not saying it’s not gross. I’m saying it’s not PDA since it’s not in public.  
  
**Yura:** fine, fine. but they’re still fucking disgusting.   
  
**Beka:** That’s fair  
  
**Beka:** I’m gonna get a shower, but please don’t kill anyone on your drive over. I don’t think they’ll let you compete if you get arrested.  
  
**Yura:** no promises  
  


Beka plugged his phone in to charge. He opened his bag and got his toiletries out before going into the bathroom. He’d wanted to shower earlier, but JJ had thrown a wrench in that plan, but now there was nothing stopping him from washing off that stale recycled airplane air and then curling up with a good book until Yuri came in.

* * *

He was another hundred pages into Bely’s _Petersburg_ when there was a knock at the door.  [2] Otabek marked his page and put the book aside before standing and stretching.

“I know you’re in there, asshole,” came Yuri’s voice from the other side of the door.

Otabek walked over to the door and opened it. Yuri was standing there, wearing his Team Russia jacket over a leopard-print t-shirt and track pants. Before Otabek realised what was happening, Yuri had hugged him. It was a quick hug, lasting maybe a second, but it succeeded in throwing Otabek off.

“I’m _starving_. Let’s get room service and catch up.”

Yuri walked into his room and Otabek, after a second, shut the door.

“Ugh, I had to read that book for my lessons,” Yuri said, indicating the novel on Beka’s bed.

“You didn’t like it?”

“It was boring.”

Boring? “Yura, it’s about the 1905 Revolution. It’s widely regarded as one of the best books of the twentieth century.”

“There’s not enough action,” Yuri said, flopping down onto the bed.

Otabek disagreed, so he stayed silent and instead went to get the room service menu. He handed it to Yuri. “Here. And then we’ll talk about our days.”

Yuri scanned through the menu and then handed it back to Beka. “You want anything?”

He shook his head. “I’m fine. I ate around six.”

“Suit yourself,” Yuri said as he grabbed the room’s phone and called in his order. When he put down the receiver, he turned to Beka. “So, get this. I had two fucking connections. Two. And one was in Washington, so we all had to go through customs _there_ , so we almost missed our fucking flight to Vermont. And the whole time Yakov and Lilia are doing their… gross thing that they do. And I’m stuck between them and cursing this fucking hotel for not being pet-friendly, because Pyotya would do a lot to improve my mood, you know?”

Otabek nodded.

“And the fucking _food_ . I’m in first class, and Lilia tells me I can’t drink any of the alcohol _or_ eat any of the _good_ food. The salad was all wilted.”

Otabek shot him a look.

“Holy shit, I’m starting to sound like Victor, aren’t I?”

“You were fine until you complained about the salad being wilted.”

Yuri groaned and pulled Otabek’s pillow over his head. “Fuck. Okay, you know what, how was your day? What kind of adventures did you get into?”

“A few weeks ago, I got a text from JJ asking if I wanted to hang out. He’s back with his parents in Montréal.”

“Oh my god, Beka, you didn’t.”

“I shouldn’t have told him that I was flying into Montréal.”

Yuri doubled over in laughter. “Beka, _please_ tell me you didn’t spend all day with that asshole.”

“He’d made lunch reservations, Yura. I couldn’t just… not go.”

“Fucking hell, Beka, you’re too nice.” Yuri managed to eventually compose himself, and wiped away a tear.

“He and Isabella took me to lunch, and then drove me down here.”

“That can’t be it, though.”

Beka certainly wasn’t about to discuss JJ’s insistence on being his wingman. “Chulanont was in the lobby. We all ended up wandering around town. I think I heard the same five stories from JJ ten times.”

“Christ, okay, fuck, Beka, your day was worse.”

“It wasn’t terrible,” Otabek said. “But prolonged exposure to JJ can be tough.”

“How much of an ass was he?”

Otabek thought through the day. “Besides dragging me to lunch… he was perfectly nice.”

“You’re fucking kidding me, Altin.”

“Yura, seriously,” Beka said, looking Yuri in the eyes. “I think… I think I may be the only person JJ considers a friend who doesn’t actively _hate_ him.”

“What the fuck.”

Otabek nodded.

“Okay, tell you what. If he asks you to be his best man, because that asshole will get married eventually, you need to take me with you.”

He hoped by the time JJ and Isabella got married, he and Yuri would already be together. “Of course.”

“Shit, fuck, Beka. I still can’t believe fucking JJ Leroy thinks you’re best friends. You’re too fucking nice.” 

Yuri dissolved into laughter again, and Otabek realised just how much he’d missed him.

* * *

After their short programs, Otabek was in the lead over Phichit and Yuri, and Yuri was, surprisingly, taking it well.

Otabek didn’t think a trip to the mall would be too distracting, so asked Yuri after they’d finished their interviews, showered, and changed into street clothes.

Yuri was enthusiastic about getting out of the, as he put it “most boring town I’ve ever fucking set foot in”.

So Otabek managed to get to the lobby before looking up how to rent a car. “Shit.”

“What?” Yuri asked.

“Apparently in the US, you need to be twenty-one to rent a car.” [3]

Yuri scoffed. “That’s bullshit. Just lie. You could pass for twenty-one.”

“Did I hear you two kids need an adult?”

Otabek and Yuri turned around to find Phichit Chulanont.

“It just so happens, I’d already rented a car for the week. Lake Placid’s okay, but it’s been a while since I’ve been to the US, and I wanted to get the most Instagram-worthy shots. I can take you two where you need to go.”

Otabek realised that Victor and Yuuri had probably asked their friend to keep an eye on them. Well, if he had a car… “We wanted to go to the mall.”

Phichit whipped out his phone. “Burlington, Montréal, or Albany?”

“I don’t know if we could get into Montréal and back with our visas.” [4]

Phichit frowned. “Okay. Well, let’s go to Albany, then. It looks like it’s on a highway, and besides, it’ll probably be less boring than Burlington.”

Yuri muttered something about interlopers.

* * *

Phichit, surprisingly, had decent taste in music. Which was a good thing, because Otabek couldn’t imagine another two hours with JJ’s ridiculous road trip mix.

“You guys are lucky I was in the lobby. Long drives don’t even faze me,” Phichit said. “That’s one benefit of living in Detroit for years. It is _not_ a walkable city.”

“Beka,” Yuri said, ignoring Phichit. “There’s a store I want to go to.”

“Okay,” Otabek agreed. “There’s one I want to go to, too.”

Phichit was a much better driver than JJ, and they managed to pass the two hour drive comfortably, although all of them agreed that they hoped Skate America next year would be someplace far less boring.

Phichit managed to find a parking spot right in front of the mall, and the three of them walked into the mall.

“Hot Topic first,” Yuri said.

The name of the store sounded familiar. That had been the one JJ had recommended was to Yuri’s tastes.

Phichit had already gotten his phone out, and Otabek was entirely sure that he was about to document the whole thing on Instagram.

Yuri leaned down to whisper in Otabek’s ear. “Бека, мы бы лучше говорили по-русский. Я думаю, что Катсуки и Виктор спросили Пхичит, чтобы он следовал за нами.” [5]

Beka rolled his eyes. “You do realise that he probably has Victor on speed dial to translate, right?” he asked, although he also spoke in Russian.

“Doesn’t matter.” He grabbed Otabek by the sleeve and led him over to the directory.

Yuri had trouble finding the store, but Otabek pointed it out for him. “There.”

Yuri grinned. “Great! Let’s go before Chulanont realises we’re gone!”

Phichit was right behind them, but Otabek followed Yuri into the store anyway. It was dark and pop-punk music was blaring from the speakers. He turned to look at a t-shirt and when he turned around, Yuri was gone.

“He did this at Skate Canada, too,” Phichit said from behind him. “Feel free to look around, if you want, but he’ll come out with bags eventually.”

Otabek did look around for a few minutes, but didn’t see anything that really caught his eye, so, eventually, he decided to wait outside with Phichit, who was posting pictures of the mall.

“Ты знаешь, я говорю по-русски,” Phichit said without looking up from his phone.[6] “I took it in college.”

“Don’t tell Yuri that. He’ll try to speak in a dialect, or something.” He wasn’t entirely sure Yuri _could_ speak in a dialect, but he’d grown up poor in Moscow, so it was likely.

“Oh, don’t worry. Why would I tell him that?” Phichit lifted his phone and tapped so the front-facing camera was on. “Smile!”

Otabek didn’t smile, but Phichit took the selfie anyway. “Snapchat,” he said. He showed the image to Otabek. _Waiting for Yuri Plisetsky outside of Hot Topic._ He’d found a geotag for the mall, as well.

Otabek nodded and Phichit posted it.

“You smile more when Yuri’s around.”

“What?”

Phichit turned to him and grinned. “I don’t know if I saw you smile all yesterday afternoon, but you’ve smiled at least ten times since we got in the car to drive down here.” He turned back to his phone, presumably to update another social network profile. “And that’s not to mention that your entire program is about him.”

Otabek didn’t respond.

“Victor and Yuuri told him, you know. About your program.”

“If it were meant to be a secret, I wouldn’t have skated to it.”

“That’s deep, Altin.” Phichit tapped some more on his phone. “But I’m still gonna kick your ass tomorrow.”

Yuri emerged from the store about twenty minutes later, arms heavy with bags. “I think I need to drop these off in the car.”

“Sure thing,” Phichit said.

They went out to the car and put all of Yuri’s bags in the trunk. Phichit checked his phone. “I’m getting kind of hungry, and it _is_ around dinner time, do you guys wanna grab a bite before shopping some more?”

They agreed to go to the food court, and all ended up getting salads. Phichit, of course, posted his on every social media profile he had.

“Do you really need to fucking snapchat your food court salad?” Yuri asked.

“If you don’t post it on social media, where’s the evidence that you ate it?”

Yuri groaned and shot Otabek a look. _Can you believe this guy_?

Otabek bit back a smile. “So…” he spoke up. “The place I want to go to… JJ actually told me about it. You can make your own stuffed animals.”

“Holy fucking shit, do you think they have cats?”

Otabek shrugged.

“If you’re talking about Build-A-Bear,” Phichit said, “they do.”

Otabek wasn’t quite sure how Phichit knew so much more about American mall culture than he did. They’d both lived in the US, and Otabek had lived in Canada for two years, too.

“We’re fucking going,” Yuri said.

And that was that. After they finished eating, they cleaned up their trays and went to Build-A-Bear.

Phichit, surprisingly, was the first to be distracted. “Pikachu!” he cried. “I didn’t realise they were making Pokémon!”

Yuri examined the animals, and Otabek picked out a [ soft white teddy bear ](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Lil-Marshmallow-Cub/productId=prod12060073) to stuff. Yuri, eventually, decided on a [ snow leopard](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Snow-Leopard/productId=prod11980012). They stuffed their animals, and even though Otabek felt absolutely ridiculous twirling around and making a wish, he couldn’t help but wish that he and Yuri ended up together.

They went to name their animals next, and Otabek noticed that Phichit had gone back to get a pair of stuffed dogs.

“I’m naming the leopard Beka,” Yuri muttered in Russian.

Otabek blinked and felt very warm. “I’m naming my bear Yura. Because you’re my Russian bear.”

Yuri blushed and Otabek honestly couldn’t believe that he’d just said that out loud. How fucking stupid _was_ he?

But still, he named his bear Yura, and then Yuri tugged on his jacket sleeve. “Let’s get them clothes. They can’t just go around naked. They have dignity.”

So they did. Otabek found a [ leopard print jacket ](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Leopard-Print-Jacket-with-Hood/productId=prod11720143) for his bear, and a [ shirt with a cat wearing a pastel leopard print hat](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Leopard-Cat-T-Shirt/productId=prod11790043). He bought the bear what looked like [ skinny jeans](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Denim-Jeans-for-Teddy-Bears/productId=prod11220020), and [ high-top sneakers](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Black-Canvas-High-Tops/productId=prod11170010). He dressed his bear up and then noticed teddy-bear sized [ ice skates](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Black-Ice-Skates/productId=prod11570097), which he obviously had to get, too.

He looked over to Yuri, who had dressed his leopard in what was _clearly_ supposed to be one of Otabek’s own outfits: [ distressed jeans](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Distressed-Denim-Jeans/productId=prod11960049), a [ leather jacket](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Harley-Davidson-Motorcycles-Black-Jacket/productId=prod10770037), [ combat boots](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Black-Combat-Boots/productId=prod11070441), and, interestingly a [ red graphic t-shirt](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Not-Easy-Being-Cool-T-Shirt-Outfit-2-pc./productId=prod11650013).

“What’s that shirt say?” Beka asked.

“‘It’s not easy being cool, but I manage’,” Yuri said, cheeks slightly pink. “Which is like, the most Beka thing ever. Even though you normally wear plain t-shirts.”

Beka smiled. “I don’t think I’m cool.”

“Cool people never do.” He looked at his snow leopard. “He’s missing something. Watch him for a second.”

Yuri ran off and came back about a minute or so later holding a teddy-bear sized pair of [ sunglasses](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Black-Frame-Sunglasses/productId=prod11380026). He put them on his leopard. “Perfect. Now he fits his name.”

Otabek felt his cheeks flush. “What do you think of Yura’s outfit?”

Yuri looked the teddy bear over. “Man, I didn’t even see that shirt, but hold on, I’m getting Beka a pair of skates.” He ducked away again and came back holding the skates. “Okay, let’s get out of here before it gets too late to get a full night’s sleep. We don’t want fucking Crispino beating us.”

Otabek nodded in agreement, and looked around for Phichit. He had his hands full: a [ Pikachu ](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Web-Exclusive-Pikachu-Set/productId=prod11710006) in a [ baseball cap ](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Blue-and-Black-Ball-Cap/productId=prod11720187) and two dogs: a [ yellow lab ](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Promise-Pets-Stuffed-Yellow-Lab/productId=prod11780005) and a [ black lab](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Promise-Pets-Black-Labrador/productId=prod11410022), in matching [ tuxedos](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Teddy-Bear-Black-Tuxedo-2-pc./productId=prod11070379). The black lab had [ black glasses](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Black-Frame-Glasses/productId=prod11380080), and the yellow lab had on a [ long white blonde wig](http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Disney's-Frozen-Elsa-Wig/productId=prod11360048).

“I got presents for Yuuri and Victor for their anniversary. The Yuuri dog is for Victor, and the Victor dog is for Yuuri.”

“What the fuck, Chulanont,” Yuri said.

Phichit shrugged as best he could. “We should probably check out and head back. Roads should be clearer, so maybe we can make it a little faster.”

They checked out, and Phichit juggled three Build-A-Bear boxes all the way to the car. “I already got a picture of them,” he said. “I sent it to Chris, but I’m not posting it until their anniversary.”

Miraculously, it all fit in the car, and when Yuri looked at the trunk, he said, “Good thing I brought an extra bag.”

“Why would you bring an extra bag to _Lake Placid_?” Otabek asked.

“Hey, that store Hot Topic is amazing, and I knew I’d buy a lot of shit. I’m growing, if you haven’t noticed, so I had to throw out a lot of my favourite clothes, and Victor keeps trying to give me hand-me-downs.”

Victor’s hand-me-downs were probably nicer than anything Otabek had ever allowed himself to buy in his life.

“All right kids, back in the car!” Phichit said, shutting the trunk.

Yuri insisted on plugging in his iPhone for the first half hour of the trip, before Phichit had finally had enough. They made it back to Lake Placid by ten, and Otabek helped Yuri carry his things to his room, since Phichit’s hands were full.

“Yurio,” Phichit asked as they emptied the trunk.

“What do you want?”

“...Would you mind bringing these,” – here he held out the boxes holding the two dogs – “to Victor and Yuuri? I mean, you live with them and all, so you’ll probably see them before I do.”

Yuri heaved a sigh that Otabek was sure was almost purely just being dramatic. “Fine. But I can’t carry them right now, so just… follow us.”

Otabek stayed to help Yuri pack everything in his extra bag. “What’re the chances we can hang out at the GPF without someone tailing us?” Yuri asked.

“Victor and Katsuki will be too caught up in each other. So… maybe not too bad?”

“I certainly fucking hope so,” Yuri huffed. He gave Otabek another hug, unannounced again. “We should get some sleep. Goodnight. Good luck.”

“Goodnight and good luck to you, too. Not like you need it.”

Yuri grinned, and Otabek took his Yura-bear and walked back to his room, feeling like he was walking on air the whole time.

 

* * *

He hadn’t been able to fucking sleep. His brain kept replaying the day with Yuri and he gave himself a generous estimate of a total of two hours of sleep.

So of course he’d fucked up on his free program. Of course that happened at the only one Yuri was watching live and in person.

In the end, he got bronze, which wasn’t too bad, and a series of concerned texts from JJ which he replied to in the locker room:

**Messages with** King JJ  
  
**King JJ:** r u    
  
**King JJ:** Bex????   
  
**King JJ:** r u  ???   
  
**Beks:** I’m fine, JJ. I had trouble sleeping and it threw me off.  
  
**King JJ:** 2 !  
  
**King JJ:** i was worried 4 1 sec bex  
  
**Beks:** I’m fine. I appreciate the concern, but I’d really rather be alone right now, JJ.  
  
**King JJ:**   
  
**King JJ:** on  & GPF. ill b  4 u  
  


“Hey,” a voice called from behind him. Yuri.

He looked up. “Hey.”

“Let’s go walk around town. We don’t have anything to do tomorrow besides our exhibitions.”

“I really didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” Otabek said.

Yuri scoffed. “I could tell. Then we’ll chill in your room, watch a movie, and get room service. I brought _Le Chat du rabbin_. Besides, we deserve a cheat day, right? And we both made the GPF, so we’ll kick everyone’s asses.”

“I’ll probably fall asleep,” Otabek said.

“That’s no big deal,” Yuri assured him. He walked over to stand in front of him and held a hand out.

Otabek took it. “Thanks.”

“We’re best friends, asshole. That means _I’m_ the only one allowed to beat you. Not some annoying Thai upstart.”

After the awards ceremony, they walked back to the hotel together, and Yuri ran back to his room to change into pyjamas and grab his laptop and DVD. Otabek changed and ordered room service. Ten minutes later, Yuri was back at Otabek’s room, and the two of them curled up on his bed to watch the movie.

Otabek was awake when the room service came, and they both ate their fill, but he was asleep by the end of the movie.

Yuri woke him up by poking him. “Hey. Get up.”

Otabek rubbed at his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Midnight, but I should go back to my room. I didn’t want to just leave, but… the last thing either of us want is me getting caught by the press, or worse, Yuri’s Angels.”

Otabek nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Thanks. For… staying with me.”

“We’re _best friends_ ,” Yuri said. “Of course I stayed with you. Besides, you’re the only person here I _like_ . Skate Canada was fucking _awful_. Even though I won.”

“Yuri Nikolayevich Plisetsky, are you really saying that getting silver in a competition we’re both in is better than getting gold when I’m in Almaty?”

Yuri’s face turned red. “That’s not what I said, you asshole.” He huffed and picked up his computer. “I’m leaving. Goodnight. You better fucking wow me at your exhibition, Altin.”

“Right back at you, Plisetsky.”

Yuri left the room, and Otabek went back to sleep.

* * *

The next day, before their exhibitions, Phichit somehow cornered Otabek and Yuri in the locker room. “You know, I think that Build-A-Bear thing was really right.”

“What’re you talking about, Chulanont?” Yuri growled.

“Well,” Phichit said. “I wished for gold, and I got it. I’m sure neither of you thought to wish for gold, did you?”

Yuri and Otabek looked at each other and shook their heads.

Phichit grinned. “Whatever, I’m sure whatever you two wished for will come true. But I need a pre-exhibition selfie, since we’re all together and in costume!” He held out his phone and pulled a selfie stick from his bag. “Say cheese!”

Yuri was scowling and Otabek had on his default expression (which, he admitted, was a sort of resting bitch face), but Phichit was beaming from the centre of the photo. “Instagram, Facebook, VKontakte, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, and… why not Google Plus, too?” [7] He tapped at his phone as he went to walk away. “Have fun out there, guys!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 These are (besides Yuri), Otabek's friends in Almaty, who I'll write about eventually. [return to text]  
> 2 I had to read this for a class... I think freshman year of college (although we read the English translation). It's a great book, from what I remember, and I really enjoyed it, and, more importantly, it seems like the kind of pretentious Literature shit that Otabek would love. [return to text]  
> 3 Before someone says "No, it's 25!", there are certain companies, like Hertz, who will let you rent a car at twenty-one, although it's a Lot more expensive. [return to text]  
> 4 I assume most of them need visas to enter the US, especially considering where Otabek and Yuri are from, and according to a German (exchange student) friend of mine who wanted to go to Toronto during spring break, going into Canada can apparently void your visa for the US? But she was a student so. I'm not sure. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. [return to text]  
> 5 He says: “Beka, we'd better speak Russian. I think Katsuki and Victor asked Phichit to follow us.” I thought Katsuki would be spelled differently in Russian (using ц instead of тс) but upon rewatching a few episodes, I realised that it's indeed spelled Катсуки. [return to text]  
> 6 Phichit says here, "you know, I speak Russian." He took it in college with Yuuri, and now uses VKontakte to make sure his Russian fans stay up-to-date on everything. [return to text]  
> 7 I listed all the social media sites I knew still were up and running. Because Phichit is That Guy. [return to text]  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> I have [Yuri](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/post/162376027461/like-i-said-rose-and-i-came-up-with-routines-for) and [Otabek's](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/post/162376079211/i-like-otabeks-costumes-a-lot-more-but-then) costumes all designed on my [tumblr](https://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> I condensed the final three chapters into one, since it made more sense in the end. I'll be posting Yuri's point of view of the competition next week!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [You're Behind My Eyelids When I'm All Alone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421000) by [xslytherclawx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx)




End file.
